Mc-

/mək//mɪk//mæk/

prefix

A patronymic used to form common Irish and Scottish names, similar to the English -son.

“Mc- + rib → McRib”

Meanings

prefix
  1. A patronymic used to form common Irish and Scottish names, similar to the English -son.
  2. derogatoryoftenUsed in combination with a non-name descriptive word to form mock names.

    Mc- + shit → McShit

    5 more examples

    Mc- + stupid → McStupid

    "Nyah-nyah!" they all shouted. "Your name's not McCloy! You're Gerald McBoing Boing, the noise-making boy!'

    1950 Gerald McBoing Boing (cartoon short)

    His body is lean. His feet aren't clean. His mouth is real mean When he's on the scene, But all the time you hear the women really yellin' his name: Filthy McNasty.

    1968 Eddie Jefferson "Filthy McNasty" (lyrics for a 1961 instrumental of the same name by Horace Silver)

    Alternatively, one may make the example a bit sharper by discussing a being, call him 'McStupid', that always knows who he is, but knows nothing else.

    2005, Daniel J. Hill, Divinity and Maximal Greatness, Routledge, →ISBN, page 44

    I bet Thomas McSmart-arse makes some dumb comment about my nose-ring.

    2006, Brigid Lowry, Guitar Highway Rose, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 29
  3. businessUsed to form the name of McDonald's products.

    Mc- + rib → McRib

    3 more examples

    Mc- + griddle → McGriddle

    Mc- + muffin → McMuffin

    Mc- + café → McCafé

  4. broadlyderogatoryIndicating a lack of depth or worth, by association with McDonald's.

    Mc- + car → McCar

    5 more examples

    Mc- + church → McChurch

    Mc- + job → McJob

    Mc- + mansion → McMansion

    Mc- + dojo → McDojo

    Sesame Street is "McEducation." Like things served by the golden arches, Sesame Street has at once elevated the dregs and lowered the quality to mediocrity

    1983 Wallace Marx, "It's Not How Long You Make It," New York Magazine, Vol. 16, No. 50 (19 Dec 1983), p11
  5. broadlyderogatoryhumorousIndicating an increase in availability or an increase in consumerism causing items to be more readily available.

    Mc- + nuke → McNuke

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Irish and Scottish Gaelicmac“son”
  2. EnglishMc-

Abbreviation of Mac-, from Irish and Scottish Gaelic mac (“son”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 麥 /麦
  • 麥 /麦 (mak⁶)Irish and Scottish patronymic
Chinese Mandarin 麥 /麦
  • 麥 /麦 (mài)Irish and Scottish patronymic
Dutch Mc-, Mac-
  • Mc-Irish and Scottish patronymic
  • Mac-Irish and Scottish patronymic

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

Cite this entry
APA

Mc-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mc-

MLA

“Mc-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mc-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mc-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mc-.

Source: Mc- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.